Ring welt and method of making



P. c. ARNOLD 2,062,288

RING WELT AND METHOD OF MAKING Dec. 1, 1936.

Filed April 24, 1935 INVENTOR.

Patented Dec. 1, 1936 RING WELT AND METHOD or MAKING Pearl 0. Arnold, West Hanover,.Mass., assignor to Barbour Welting Company, Brockton, Mass.,'a copartnership composed of Perley E. Barbour, Walter G. Barbour, and Richard H. Barbour Application April 24,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to shoe welting and more particularly to shoe welting prepared in a special form for use in the manufacture of completely welted shoes. The welting is especially desirable for shoes having an upper too short to overlast such, for example, as disclosed in my copending application for Welting and shoemaking therewith, Ser. No. 664,742, and in the co-pending application of William C. Vizard for Welting and shoemaking therewith, Ser. No. 664,722, both filed April 6, 1933.

The purpose and method of manufacture of the welting claimed herein will be best understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of a fragment of a strand of welting material, preferably grain leather, of the kind disclosed in my application Ser. No. 664,742, having three separable flaps at one edge;

Fig. 2 is a view, in perspective, of a measured length cut from said strand having each end face-scarfed in accordance with the usual practice in the manufacture of unlimited long welting fillets;

Fig. 3 is a view, in perspective, of the piece shown in Fig. 2 manipulated to form an endless welt for a single shoe upper;

Fig. 4 is a view, in perspective, of a portion of the ring welt of Fig. 3 showing the outer flap broken down from the other two to facilitate cementing its inner face and that of the adjoining flap; and

Fig. 5 is a view, in cross section, of the ring welt attached to a short shoe upper and having its extension broken back preparatory to assembling with an insole for lasting.

In the following description the manufacture and use of the welting of this invention will, for simplicity, be confined to the processing of grain leather, but it should be distinctly understood that the usefulness of this invention is not limited to leather because any suitable welting material may be processed and used in like manner; nor are dimensions given because they vary greatly with the size and kind of shoe for which the welting is made. The general field of usefulness of the welting includes childrens, growing girls, misses, little gents and boys shoes; work shoes for all ages; and sport shoes, particularly of the serviceable type.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing a strand ID of grain leather is slit twice transversely through one edge producing a grain-faced flap I2, an adjoining or central flesh 1935, Serial No. 17,987

flap l3 preferably of somewhat lighter weight and a second flesh flap, l4 preferably of substantially the weight of the grain-faced flap. 'The' slits are limited in depth leaving an unslit or solid body l5 that, in the shoe, is outturned from the upper and provides the welt extension. The

slits may be made in an unlimited long strand of welting, and if so, the next step is to cut a piece from the strand that, when formed into an endless welt or ring, will neatly fit to the periphery of the short upper at its lower edge.

Accordingly a measured length 26' may be cut from a previously slitted strand substantially equal to the distance around the bottom of the upper for the size of shoe being processed, 'allowing for a lap of the two ends in order to make a strong joint in the ring. It will be understood that, if desired, unslit measured lengths maybe obtained in any feasible Way and these pieces edge-slit separately to form three flaps. The measured length, however obtained, is opposite- 1y face-scarfed at each end, as at 22 and 24 (Fig. 2) the lengthof the scarf being such that- 1,150,181, August 17, 1915. It will be observed that-the flaps l2, l3 and I4 are at one end of the short tube formed by the width of the welting strand. The ring is so formed as to leave the grain of a leather strand on the outer or circumferential face of the short tube.

The grain flap l2 and adjoining flesh flap l3 may now be opened and cement applied to their inner faces. Thereafter the lower edge of the short shoe upper may be tucked in between these two cemented flaps and light pressure applied to hold the upper and welt together while being stitched. It is important that the welt is placed evenly on the upper and to further this end the outer or grain flap I2 may be broken down as shown in Fig. 4 and the shoulder 26 may be used as a gauge in laying the upper on the cemented face of the flap l3. This feature is not a part of this invention but will be found disclosed and claimed in the co-pending application of William C. Vizard, Ser. No. 17,993, filed of even date therewith.

The combined upper and ring welt are now ready to receive the stitching 30 (Fig. 5) by running through a sewing machine in the manner described in my said application Ser. No. 664,742 or in any other convenient manner.

The upper having been permanently secured between the two flaps I2 and I3 of the welt, the welt is now prepared for lasting by tempering and then breaking the extension l5 outward relatively to the secured upper and by causing the third flap M, or lasting allowance, to stand somewhat inward of the upper (see Fig. 5). Thereafter, upon assembling with an insole upon a last, lasting may be proceeded with substantially as described in the said application, Ser'. No. 664,742 or otherwise as suited to the type of shoe being built.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that my.

invention relates, in its broaderaspects, to all weltings having a plurality of separable flaps at one margin for embracing the lower edge of a scant shoe upper such, for example, as disclosed in said prior filed applications hereinbefore referred to. Some of the claims herewith, accordingly, set forth this characterizing feature of the invention by the intentional use of generic terms and expressions inclusive of various modified forms of the welting.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated and the preferred form of a tubular ring welt for application to a scant shoe upper together with the process of producing it having been specifically described, what is claimed as new, is:

1. A pro-formed tubular ring welt for the complete welting of a single shoe comprising a piece of welting edge-slit to form three separable flaps at one margin and having an unslit extension integral therewith, the ends of said piece being lapped across said flaps and extension and secured together.

2. A tubular ring welt pre-formed from a measured length of a grain leather welting strand having a grain flap and two flesh flaps at one margin and a solid extension integral therewith, the ends of said length being lapped across said flaps and extension and secured together with the grain presented at the circumferential face of the ring.

' 3. A pre-fo-rmed tubular ring welt comprising a measured length from a. strand of welting characterized by a transversely slitted edge providing flaps at said edge, said edge-slitted length having its ends oppositely face-scarfed through its flaps, and said scarfs being lapped and secured to each other.

4. A pro-formed tubular ring welt characterized by a plurality of separable flaps at one end of the short tube formed by the width of the welting strand.

5. The method of making a welt for the subsequent complete welting of a single shoe which' comprises forming a plurality of separable fiaps by transversely slitting the edge of a piece of welting, oppositely face-scarfing the ends thereof, then lapping and connecting said scarfs forming a tubular ring, whereby said flaps are presented at one end of the short tube formed by the width of the piece of welting.

6. The method of making a ring welt ofi the shoe which comprises forming a plurality of separable flaps at one margin of an unlimited long strand of welting by transversely slitting one edge thereof, severing a measured length from said slitted strand, oppositely face-scarfing the ends of said measured length, through its flaps and forming a tubular ring by cementing, lapping and pressing said scarfs.

PEARL C. ARNOLD. 

